Beres thankful for Doctor of Letters

On Saturday, Hugh Beresford 'Beres' Hammond will mark another major career milestone when he will be conferred with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus' annual graduation ceremony.

The annual tradition of conferring honorary degrees coincides this year with the regional university's 75th jubilee celebrations. The UWI said in a tribute piece that throughout his five-decade career, the reggae icon "has thrilled generations with his smoky-sweet voice. From the funked-up reggae jams of the 1970s fusion band Zap Pow, where he was a lead singer, to the lush instrumentation of his 1976 album Soul Reggae, to the spare digital beat of his 1985 dancehall breakthrough, What One Dance Can Do".

"It feels good," a smiling Hammond told THE WEEKEND STAR about the award, adding with a laugh, "Hmmmm ... Doctor of Letters ... letters a gwaan, song fi drop!" Getting back serious, he shared,"It mek mi feel like I was doing something worthwhile all this time."

The UWI made the official announcement in September, but Hammond said "a lady named Babsy Grange did hint me and tell me wha' a gwaan ... and then my office was informed".

"But dem sitten deh, a other people deserve it. Of course, I give thanks and it is all good, but I would like if other folks woulda get it to. When yuh out deh like that yuh feel lonely ... but I am thankful to those who thought that I am deserving of this honour," said the Grammy-nominated singer who was awarded the Order of Jamaica in 2013 by the Government for his exceptional and dedicated contribution to the Jamaican music industry.

The UWI tribute hailed Hammond's "spontaneous method of composing, and unwillingness to compromise on the quality of his sound". His prolific career has so far produced 22 solo albums, including 13 for VP Records.

Asked about the secret to his longevity in the music business, Hammond didn't miss a beat.

"Mi neva study it yuh know. When yuh love something yuh just do it. When my songs come to me, mi nuh know how it come ... it just come. Me live my life with the common people. Yuh can't be artiste and hide from people. Yuh have to hear how dem talk and hear how dem feel. Yuh have to connect with people and tap into dem heart and know how dem feel bout certain tings. Mi only sing di truth ... mi nah tell nuh lie," said Hammond, who other artistes dub 'The Chairman of the Board'.

He compared making music to a chef preparing food.

"If mi nuh love weh mi a hear, mi nah put out the song. If yuh cook food and it taste salty, yuh not going serve it, right? Yuh haffi season it so that none of the seasoning don't overpower the other. And it's the same way with music."

Hammond recently returned from a five-week US tour, which also had a Belgium date and some Caribbean shows sprinkled in between. He closes another successful year with a concert in Barbados on December 16.

Hammond joins Rita Marley and Jimmy Cliff as reggae music icons who have been presented with honorary degrees by The UWI, Mona campus.